Early Briefing

*J. Christopher Flowers, who led the bid to buy Sallie Mae of Reston, has a history of successful dealmaking. The bidders have lowered what they say they'll pay for the student lender, but Chariman Albert Lord says that's unacceptable.

*InPhonic of the District, named the fastest-growing U.S. company by the Inc. 500 list five years after its founding in 1999, said it was considering selling itself. It also terminated its COO and canceled a partnership it announced last month. Its stock plummeted.

*The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight proposed capital-related measures that could impinge on Fannie Mae's and Freddie Mac's profits, while Barney Frank said he'd propose a temporary increase on the caps on the companies' portfolios.

*Monument Realty sued Metro to stop the sale of the agency's land near the new Nationals' stadium. See story